By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, March 15: Chinese authorities in Tibet’s Sog County have held a Tibetan man in detention for over a year without trial and is reportedly in poor health, exile sources say.
According to Ngawang Tharpa, a Tibetan living in exile with close contacts in Tibet, Gawa Sangpo was arrested in January 2013 for allegedly writing an appeal letter containing three points and has been in detention without a trial.
The letter, according to Tharpa, says, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama is my Lama to whom I am devoted. My leader is Lobsang Sangay and Tibet is an independent nation.”
During his one-year detention, Gawa Sangpo was subjected to severe torture and is currently in poor health condition, said Tharpa.
The same source also noted that Sangpo has expressed regrets for getting arrested before he could set himself ablaze and for not being able to raise the Tibetan flag atop Potala Palace.
Since 2009, 127 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in Tibet protesting against China’s occupation of Tibet and its hard-line policies.
